Maguindanao town residents surrender guns, ammo

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines — High-powered firearms were surrendered by residents of Ampatuan, Maguindanao a few days before the promulgation of the Maguindanao massacre case.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command chief, said Ampatuan Mayor Bai Leah Sangki turned over the firearms to the First Mechanized Infantry Battalion on Monday.

 Sobejana said a 7.62 mm sniper rifle, four caliber .50 Barret rifles, four 12 gauge shotguns, a rocket-propelled grenade, three 40mm grenade launchers, a caliber .38 revolver, a 9mm Uzi sub-machinegun, a 5.56mm Ultimax rifle, several rounds of ammunition and a magazine were surrendered.

Sobejana lauded the commitment to peace of the Ampatuan local government unit and its involvement in various measures to fight terrorism, insurgency and lawlessness.

 “Their strong participation has provided an avenue for the myriad of our unprecedented gains, bringing a breakthrough in our campaign in Mindanao,” Sobejana said.

The firearms were turned over to the 601st Army Brigade led by Col. Jose Narciso during a ceremony attended by barangays captains.

“We vow to sustain our campaign against unregistered firearms in our bid to stop the proliferation of illegal tools used by private armed groups to instigate violence,” Narciso said.